BREAKING NEWS: Judge Formally REJECTS Government Bid To Keep Mar-a-Lago Affidavit Under Seal


OPINION: This article contains commentary which may reflect the author’s opinion


The raid on the Trump family Home in Florida, and the contents of the documents seized during that raid, keep unfolding.

The accusations against former President Trump regarding the documents that were in his possession and the contents of those documents are being debated behind doors.

Trump has been vocal since the unprecedented raid, which has also appeared to trigger a boost for Trump against potential Republican rivals.

Outrage at the FBI and their handling of the search at the Trump family home is sparking a cry to make the warrant for the search public, in order to answer the disputed questions.

The video from the Trumps’ CCTV, which the FBI requested be turned off, is in the hands of the Trump family and as Eric Trump has stated, they will release the contents of the video, “at the right time.”

The Trump family had denied the FBI’s request to turn off the video and kept it running so that all areas under the camera’s surveillance would be recorded. Neither the Trumps nor their attorneys were not allowed to be present during the search.

Procedural documents unsealed last week described an ‘ongoing investigation,’ as investigators probe potential obstruction of justice or potential violation of the Espionage Act, which contains sections on willful mishandling or taking of government documents.

The New York Times on Saturday reported on the final days of the Trump White House that came before federal authorities would ultimately retrieve 15 boxes of information from Mar-a-Lago.

Members of the White House counsel had told the former White House Chief of Staff that about two dozen boxes of materials in the White House residence needed to be turned over to the National Archives.

But Trump has repeatedly stated that the documents in his possession were declassified before he left the White House.

The items stated in the sealed search warrant are in question, and transparency dictates that the warrant be unsealed to settle the matter.

Previously, an order where the judge, U.S. Magistrate Bruce Reinhart – who signed off on the FBI’s search warrant for parts of the former president’s home and golf club – said there is a ‘significant likelihood’ that unsealing it ‘could then impede the ongoing investigation through obstruction of justice and witness intimidation or retaliation.’

He also said it is likely it ‘would harm legitimate privacy interests by directly disclosing the identity of the affiant as well as providing evidence that could be used to identify witnesses.’

The judge put off a final decision last week and told the government to come back with proposed redactions to the document.

But he rejected DOJ’s claim that putting out a redacted version would be essentially meaningless because of all the information that would be blacked out.

DOJ had said in court last week that doing so would result in a document ‘devoid of content that would meaningfully enhance the public’s understanding.’

‘I cannot say at this point that partial redactions will be so extensive that they will result in a meaningless disclosure, but I may ultimately reach that conclusion,’ the judge said in the order, hedging.

The judge implied that it is necessary to have the information within the document in order to reach a conclusion about the case.

He also said the affidavit in its un-redacted form discloses ‘sources and methods’ in the ongoing investigation.

He noted that ‘Neither Former President Trump nor anyone else purporting to be the owner of the Premises has filed a pleading taking a position on the Intervenors’ Motions to Unseal,’ a posture that some observers have noted keeps Trump’s team from being at the table during the dispute over redactions.

Former President Trump has already stated that he favors the unsealing of the warrant.

Trump posted on /August 15 that “There is no way to justify the unannounced raid of Mar-a Lago” and “in the interest of TRANSPARENCY, I call for the immediate release of the completely Unredacted Affidavit pertaining to this horrible and shocking BREAK-IN.”

In regard to Judge Reinhart, whose past is reportedly linked with high-level Democrats, Trump then posted, “Also, the judge in this case should recuse!”

Now Judge Reinhart has rejected the government’s stance on keeping the document sealed.

The federal judge considering the push to unseal the affidavit that bolstered the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago issued an order Monday rejecting the government’s push to keep the entire document under seal and revealed his inclination to put make public at least some of the information.

Federal Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart in this new order rejects the government’s argument that ‘the present record justifies keeping the entire Affidavit under seal.’

The judge instead calls for ‘narrowly tailoring’ what is made public and searching for the ‘least onerous alternatives’ – a posture that could make new information on the government’s investigation public within days, Daily Mail reports.

Source: The Republic Brief